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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fall — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. row — a line
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bank — for money
  12. craft — boats
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — for money
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bank — of a river

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