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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. firm — a company
  5. key — in music
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — the most important part
  8. craft — a skill
  9. squash — to crush
  10. firm — steady
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. row — a line
  15. squash — the sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. firm — decided
  19. craft — boats
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chair — a leader
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. key — for a lock

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