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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wake — a trail
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bank — for money
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — child
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bank — for money
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bank — of a river
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — a grade

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