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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. game — wild animals
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — a match
  13. kick — in football
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. saw — the tool
  19. row — a line
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. prune — to trim

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