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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — the season
  5. club — a group
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — for golf
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spring — of water
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hand — help

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