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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. content — happy
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rule — government
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mark — a grade
  11. file — a tool
  12. row — a line
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bass — low music
  23. content — the amount
  24. file — a document

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