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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bore — to tire
  4. row — a line
  5. ground — a position
  6. board — a committee
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rock — music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rock — a stone
  19. board — to get on
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. row — to paddle
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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