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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wind — moving air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — to paddle
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cue — a hint
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — of the year
  14. row — a line
  15. bass — the fish
  16. season — in sport
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bass — low music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bowl — a football final

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