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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. row — to paddle
  13. current — happening now
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. current — of water

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