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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. kick — in football
  5. rock — music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. scale — size or range
  8. row — a line
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. scale — in music
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — to cut
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. row — to paddle
  21. foot — a measure
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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