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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a line
  5. track — to keep track
  6. board — to get on
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mine — for digging
  10. track — a song
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. track — a path
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. board — a committee
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hide — animal skin

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