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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 116 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cold — an illness
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. row — a line
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cold — not warm
  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