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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — to shout
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. suit — to fit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bat — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. suit — clothes
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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