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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cold — an illness
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. rock — music
  6. row — a line
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. march — the month
  10. bank — for money
  11. march — music
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bank — of a river
  15. court — of a king
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. march — the month
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bank — for money
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. plane — an aircraft

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