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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. last — to go on
  3. row — a line
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — final
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rock — music
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. band — a music group
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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