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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 120 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mug — a cup
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mug — a face
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fall — to drop
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. scale — in music
  21. row — a line
  22. mug — to rob
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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