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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. season — of the year
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. last — final
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ball — a dance
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. row — a line
  18. season — in sport
  19. ball — a great time
  20. last — to go on
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — to add flavour

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