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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ground — crushed
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chair — a leader
  11. craft — boats
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. squash — to crush
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. squash — the sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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