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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. suit — to fit
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — in biology
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rock — music
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — music
  10. suit — clothes
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. snap — to click
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cell — a phone
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wound — an injury
  21. suit — in cards
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. row — a line

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