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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. row — a line
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stock — shares
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. object — a thing
  15. stock — goods
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. club — a group
  21. object — to protest
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. object — an aim
  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