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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ground — crushed
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cue — for pool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cue — a hint
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rash — a series
  17. ground — a position
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cue — a signal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ball — a dance
  24. row — a line

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