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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. can — a tin
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. board — to get on
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. row — a line
  10. lean — thin
  11. last — finally
  12. kid — to tease
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. last — to go on
  19. kid — child
  20. last — final
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. can — to be able to
  24. saw — the tool

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