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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. row — to paddle
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. present — there
  6. object — to protest
  7. last — final
  8. present — the time now
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. present — a gift
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — a thing
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. clip — a video
  20. row — a line
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — wild animals
  23. object — an aim
  24. rush — a thrill

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