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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — to paddle
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — to keep track
  8. row — a line
  9. track — a song
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rock — a stone
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. track — a path
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. calf — a young animal

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