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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kid — child
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. can — a tin
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pop — soda
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pop — music
  18. can — a tin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. row — a line
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. can — to be able to

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