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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. file — a line of people
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. swing — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. drill — a practice
  19. swing — in golf
  20. drill — the tool
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. file — a document
  23. toast — bread
  24. drill — army training

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