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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bulb — for light
  6. capital — money
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. row — a line
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hand — help
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hand — in cards
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cue — a signal

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