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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. row — a line
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rule — government
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bass — low music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fine — all right
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rule — a law
  24. wake — a trail

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