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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — part of the head
  5. row — to paddle
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spell — letters
  8. scale — size or range
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rock — music
  16. spell — magic
  17. face — to confront
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a line
  20. scale — in music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bank — of a river
  24. date — on the calendar

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