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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a line
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tube — the underground
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — a container
  24. mate — a friend

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