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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. net — for catching
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — to sink
  13. net — after costs
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. lie — to recline
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. rest — a break
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — a country
  22. net — in sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — a line

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