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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bank — of a river
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — to paddle
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — final
  8. club — for dancing
  9. last — finally
  10. chair — a leader
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. bank — for money
  14. row — a line
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. root — of a plant
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — for money
  22. last — to go on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chair — to sit on

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