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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. dip — to sink
  5. capital — money
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kid — to tease
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kid — child
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — certain
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. club — a group
  15. plane — a tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. capital — a city
  20. saw — the tool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bound — tied together

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