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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. row — a line
  11. kick — in football
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bound — tied together
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. row — a quarrel

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