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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — magic
  5. mark — a grade
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — letters
  11. object — to protest
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. row — a line
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. object — a thing
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hand — in cards
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — help
  24. object — an aim

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