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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. clip — to cut
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. clip — a video
  8. lie — to recline
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. bank — for money
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bank — for money
  24. lie — an untruth

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