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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. last — final
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. row — a line
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kick — in football
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. row — to paddle
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — finally

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