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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. row — a line
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. object — an aim
  15. date — the fruit
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fine — high quality
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — all right
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — there

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