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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — in a race
  8. court — of a king
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — a hole
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. court — of law
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — a line
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. court — for sport
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. date — the fruit

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