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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. toast — bread
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. squash — to crush
  12. charge — a price
  13. wind — moving air
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. row — to paddle
  21. squash — the sport
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — a quarrel

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