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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a line
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. drill — a practice
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. capital — money
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mine — for digging
  19. capital — a city
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. capital — a big letter

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