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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mug — a face
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. game — wild animals
  5. staff — a stick
  6. present — there
  7. snap — to click
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. firm — steady
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. present — the time now
  13. mug — to rob
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. staff — employees
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. row — to paddle
  18. game — a match
  19. wind — moving air
  20. firm — decided
  21. mug — a cup
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — a gift
  24. firm — a company

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