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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — to paddle
  7. toast — bread
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — employees
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kid — to tease
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — to breed
  18. kid — child
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — a friend
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. row — a line
  24. coach — a trainer

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