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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fine — high quality
  4. row — a line
  5. wake — a trail
  6. present — there
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — the cause
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fine — all right
  18. net — after costs
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — size or range
  21. present — the time now
  22. scale — in music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. root — of a word

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