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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mark — a trace
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. swing — music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. scale — in music
  11. present — there
  12. land — a country
  13. swing — to play on
  14. present — a gift
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. row — a line
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. land — ground
  21. present — the time now
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. scale — size or range
  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