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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cold — not warm
  3. deal — to handle
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. can — a tin
  6. row — a line
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. club — a group
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. march — the month
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. club — for golf
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — a quarrel

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