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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. band — a ring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fall — the season
  9. row — a line
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lean — to bend
  12. present — the time now
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — there
  15. lean — thin
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rash — a series
  18. fall — to drop
  19. band — a music group
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. present — a gift
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. racket — for tennis

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