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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rock — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — a stone
  9. row — a line
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. date — the fruit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tear — to rip
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rock — to move gently

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