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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. row — a line
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. date — the fruit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stand — to bear
  23. row — to paddle
  24. date — on the calendar

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