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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — a path
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. sharp — clever
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — in a race
  8. staff — employees
  9. track — a song
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pit — a hole
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — on a finger

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