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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. present — a gift
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. present — there
  6. band — a music group
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rock — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. band — a ring
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. present — the time now
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pass — to spend time
  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