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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. deal — to handle
  5. row — a line
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cue — a hint
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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