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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — letters
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — magic
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mate — a friend
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — in sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. arm — a part of something

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