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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  3. club — a group
  4. spell — magic
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. board — to get on
  8. spell — letters
  9. clip — to cut
  10. spell — a short time
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — for golf
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. clip — for paper
  20. club — for dancing
  21. clip — a video
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. row — a line

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