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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 116 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: row · bat · leaves · lie · present · rash · ball · rock

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rock — music
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — a series
  10. row — to paddle
  11. present — the time now
  12. rash — hasty
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. present — a gift
  15. ball — a dance
  16. row — a line
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — there
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ball — a round shape

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