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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wound — an injury
  6. object — to protest
  7. row — a line
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in biology
  15. shower — rain
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — a phone
  18. shower — to wash
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. object — a thing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. object — an aim
  24. row — to paddle

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