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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. present — the time now
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. roll — a list
  12. row — a line
  13. present — there
  14. ground — a position
  15. stand — to bear
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. roll — a cake
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. present — a gift
  24. ground — crushed

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