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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. row — a line
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. march — the month
  7. current — electric
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to click
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. current — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wind — moving air
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — the month

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