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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. land — a country
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. row — a line
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — to get on
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. land — ground
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. row — to paddle
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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