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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kid — child
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spell — magic
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spell — letters
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. foot — a measure
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — to get on
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pitch — completely
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. board — a committee
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — a line
  24. wake — before a funeral

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