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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cell — in biology
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. bank — for money
  17. face — to confront
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — of a river
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — the animal
  24. face — part of the head

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