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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — of the year
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. mug — a cup
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ground — a position
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — of a king
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ground — the earth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ground — crushed
  24. safe — a strongbox

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