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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. object — an aim
  3. charge — in control
  4. object — a thing
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. net — for catching
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bark — to shout
  16. net — in sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. object — to protest
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. row — a line
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — a price
  24. row — to paddle

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