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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rush — hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. present — a gift
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. present — there
  14. stock — shares
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. present — the time now
  20. stock — goods
  21. lean — thin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — the animal

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