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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. club — a group
  3. kid — child
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. race — a contest
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. club — for dancing
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — humankind
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. row — a line
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mate — a friend
  19. club — for golf
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. kid — to tease
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mate — to breed

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