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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spell — a short time
  3. kick — in football
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spell — letters
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. court — of a king
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. band — a ring
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spell — magic
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — a line

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