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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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. fall — to drop
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — a stone
  12. row — a line
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to confront
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stock — shares
  21. game — a match
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — a quarrel

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