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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. pop — soda
  5. season — of the year
  6. pop — to visit
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — a line
  14. face — to point toward
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — to confront
  18. bank — for money
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pop — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. scale — size or range

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