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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. roll — a list
  3. ground — a position
  4. row — to paddle
  5. last — to go on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. last — finally
  10. row — a line
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ground — the earth
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — final

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