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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. toast — bread
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. kid — to tease
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rock — music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. kid — child
  16. chair — a leader
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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