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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chest — of your body
  4. row — a line
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pop — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. season — of the year
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cap — a lid
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chest — a box

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