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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pit — in a race
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spell — magic
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pit — a hole
  17. row — a line
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fork — in a road
  20. row — to paddle
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com