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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lean — thin
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. row — a line
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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