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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. content — the amount
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — completely
  12. object — to protest
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. craft — a skill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. craft — boats
  18. row — a line
  19. object — an aim
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. object — a thing
  23. arm — a part of something
  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