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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — a line
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spell — a short time
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. deal — to handle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. deal — an agreement

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