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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fall — the season
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — not warm
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. object — a thing
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. object — to protest
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — a line
  21. cold — an illness
  22. object — an aim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — letters

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