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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. craft — a skill
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — a face
  7. shower — rain
  8. mug — a cup
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. craft — boats
  11. press — to push
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — a line
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mug — to rob
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bass — low music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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