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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. last — final
  4. row — a line
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rock — music
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. row — to paddle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — in golf
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. swing — music
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. last — to go on

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