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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · row · mug · bowl · squash · chair · leaves · hand

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. clip — a video
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mug — a cup
  10. row — to paddle
  11. clip — to cut
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mug — a face
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bowl — to roll

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