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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fall — the season
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — a line
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. spell — magic
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spell — a short time
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spell — letters
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. game — a match
  24. nail — for a hammer

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