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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mug — a face
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. band — a music group
  6. row — to paddle
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. club — for golf
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a ring
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mug — a cup

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