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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — help
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. row — to paddle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — to wash
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hand — in cards

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