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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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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. race — humankind
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — to tire
  10. race — a contest
  11. spell — a short time
  12. board — a committee
  13. bore — to drill
  14. race — the arms race
  15. current — happening now
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. row — a line
  18. current — of water
  19. spell — magic
  20. current — electric
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. board — to get on
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — letters

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