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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lean — to bend
  3. row — a line
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fall — the season
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — money
  14. row — to paddle
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lean — thin
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mug — a cup
  20. track — a song
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — to rob
  24. capital — a city

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