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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fine — all right
  12. kid — child
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spell — magic
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — high quality
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — to paddle

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