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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. file — a line of people
  3. row — a line
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. snap — to click
  6. root — of a plant
  7. track — a song
  8. last — finally
  9. club — a group
  10. file — a document
  11. club — for dancing
  12. track — a path
  13. club — for golf
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. last — final
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. root — the cause
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. root — of a word
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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