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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. swing — in golf
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. swing — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. shower — rain
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. object — a thing
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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