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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cue — a signal
  4. file — a document
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. row — a line
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. row — to paddle
  21. file — a tool
  22. chair — a leader
  23. hand — help
  24. nail — on a finger

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