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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. row — a line
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. last — finally
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. kid — to tease
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. tear — from crying
  22. last — final
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. deal — to handle

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