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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — the animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bank — for money
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — for sport
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. court — of a king
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fall — the season
  20. row — a line
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — of law
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — in an idiom

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