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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mate — to breed
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mate — a friend
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. kid — child
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bank — of a river
  18. toast — bread
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — for money

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