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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — soda
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — crushed
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — a position
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mark — a trace
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — a grade
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — a line

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