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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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — in sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spell — magic
  13. bass — the fish
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — after costs
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — letters
  20. row — a line
  21. staff — employees
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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