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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. mate — a partner
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — employees
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mate — to breed
  14. row — to paddle
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lean — thin
  17. staff — a stick
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — to bend
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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