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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. face — to confront
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chip — for betting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — in sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. row — a line
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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