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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. field — for sport
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — a subject
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. field — farmland
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — the underground
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tube — a container
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — happening now
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. current — of water
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. staff — employees
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — a stick
  22. current — electric
  23. row — a line
  24. rest — a break

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