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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bank — of a river
  3. row — a line
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. game — wild animals
  11. field — a subject
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — farmland
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. roll — a list
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bank — for money
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. roll — a cake
  24. game — a match

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