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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cell — a phone
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hand — in cards
  6. club — a group
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. club — for golf
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — in biology
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. tube — a container
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — help
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tube — in a tire

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