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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. row — a line
  12. suit — clothes
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — to wash
  15. suit — to fit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. shower — rain
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rush — to hurry

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