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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rule — a law
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. swing — music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — government
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tube — a container
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ball — a dance
  22. swing — to play on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. swing — in golf

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