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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. row — a line
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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