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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. craft — boats
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pit — in a race
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pit — a hole
  10. plane — a tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — the season
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. craft — a skill
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. row — a line
  23. cold — an illness
  24. craft — a handicraft

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