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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — of a king
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — certain
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. band — a music group
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — obliged

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