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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — child
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fall — the season
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. bank — for money

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