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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rest — what's left
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rest — a break
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. squash — the sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bound — obliged
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rock — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bound — certain
  24. rock — a stone

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