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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. row — to paddle
  3. file — a document
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ground — crushed
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. band — a music group
  8. ground — the earth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — a line
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. ground — a position
  22. band — a ring
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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