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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — a break
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a line
  9. court — for sport
  10. present — there
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chip — to eat
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. present — the time now
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. present — a gift
  24. branch — a division

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