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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 116 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — to point toward
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bulb — for light
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. face — to confront
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — in cards
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. face — part of the head
  24. row — a line

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