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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lean — thin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — temperature
  21. row — a line
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. row — a quarrel

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