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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · row · rush · foot · cell · mate · bound · jam

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cell — a phone
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mine — for digging
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bound — tied together
  23. row — a line
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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