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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. key — for a lock
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. hand — help
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — a committee
  10. cell — in biology
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. key — the most important part
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — a phone
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. board — to get on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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