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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — decided
  3. row — a line
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fine — all right
  10. row — to paddle
  11. firm — steady
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. chair — a leader
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. firm — a company
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. chair — a professorship

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