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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pit — in a race
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mark — a trace
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mark — a grade

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