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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. sharp — clever
  4. club — for golf
  5. row — a line
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rock — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. rock — a stone
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. present — the time now
  19. club — a group
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spell — a short time
  24. land — to come down

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