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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mark — a trace
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — for sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — a line
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rush — hurry

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