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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitch — completely
  5. object — an aim
  6. roll — a list
  7. rest — what's left
  8. board — a committee
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rest — a break
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rash — hasty
  19. object — a thing
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. board — a flat piece

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