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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — to wash
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. lean — thin
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — low music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. roll — a list
  15. shower — rain
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a line
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. row — to paddle
  24. lean — to bend

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