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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. row — a line
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. can — to be able to
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — a partner
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a path
  14. sharp — clever
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — to cut
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mate — to breed
  22. track — to keep track
  23. can — a tin
  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