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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. toast — bread
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pit — in a race
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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