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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. kick — in football
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — a line
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. scale — in music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — to paddle
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wake — a trail

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