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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bank — for money
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bank — for money
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rule — government
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cold — an illness
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — bread
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a match
  22. row — a line
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rule — a law

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