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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cap — a hat
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rash — a series
  10. chest — of your body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chest — a box
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. perch — the fish
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a dance
  20. row — a line
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bank — for money
  24. cap — a lid

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