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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spell — letters
  3. net — in sport
  4. current — electric
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lean — thin
  8. rock — music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — after costs
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. current — happening now
  16. net — for catching
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spell — magic
  21. rock — a stone
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. current — of water
  24. lie — an untruth

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