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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. row — a line
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a ring
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. row — to paddle
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — for tennis

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