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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. row — to paddle
  3. chest — of your body
  4. roll — a cake
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chest — a box
  8. cap — a lid
  9. roll — a list
  10. sharp — clever
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. row — a line
  15. rule — a law
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cap — a hat
  22. snap — to click
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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