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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pop — soda
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rush — hurry
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pop — music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kid — child
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — a line
  23. rush — to hurry
  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