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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. season — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — a line
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. season — of the year
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — child
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ball — a great time
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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