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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — for pool
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kick — in football
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — low music
  14. craft — boats
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cue — a hint
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. band — a music group
  24. coach — a trainer

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