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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. shower — to wash
  3. rest — a break
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. last — final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — a container
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — rain
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. row — a line
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rest — what's left
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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