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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. deal — to handle
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — a leader
  9. court — of law
  10. bore — to drill
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bore — to tire
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. court — of a king
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — for sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. staff — employees
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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