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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 a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. snap — to click
  4. ground — crushed
  5. row — a line
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. present — the time now
  8. last — final
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. last — finally
  11. ground — a position
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — the earth
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pop — to visit
  20. present — there
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. kick — in football
  24. pop — music

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