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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — a thing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. row — a line
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wake — a trail
  18. object — an aim
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bass — low music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bass — the fish

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