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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. firm — decided
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — steady
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tube — the underground
  12. file — a document
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. row — a line
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — in cards
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. firm — a company

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