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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 124 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kid — to tease
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kid — child
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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