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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. board — a committee
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ball — a dance
  6. kid — child
  7. row — a line
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pit — in a race
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. season — in sport
  12. ball — a great time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. board — to get on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kid — to tease
  24. leaves — of a tree

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