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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — the season
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. spring — a coil
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. march — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a line
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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