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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pit — a hole
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. file — a tool
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. scale — in music
  9. craft — boats
  10. row — a line
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cue — for pool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a document
  24. rule — a law

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