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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mug — a face
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rush — hurry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rock — music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mug — to rob
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pitch — completely
  23. date — the fruit
  24. band — a ring

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