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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. capital — a city
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mine — for digging
  9. sharp — clever
  10. squash — to crush
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. row — a line
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — to paddle
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — a trail
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rock — a stone
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. capital — money
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. row — a quarrel

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