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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitch — completely
  17. dip — to sink
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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