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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cold — not warm
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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