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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. kid — child
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ground — a position
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. club — a group
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. file — a tool
  18. row — a line
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kid — to tease
  21. club — for dancing
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rock — music
  24. club — for golf

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