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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cell — in biology
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — in sport
  15. roll — a cake
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bass — low music
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. row — a line
  24. mouse — the animal

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