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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 116 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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Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kid — child
  4. row — a line
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cold — an illness
  7. present — a gift
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. present — the time now
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — in football
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. present — there
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rash — a series
  24. kick — a thrill

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