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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — in sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. row — a line
  6. rock — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. season — of the year
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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