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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. row — a line
  4. lie — to recline
  5. row — to paddle
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — hasty
  10. march — music
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. march — the month
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fork — in a road
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — to eat with

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