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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mine — for digging
  4. row — a line
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stock — goods
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — shares

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