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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ground — a position
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cell — in biology
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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