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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. row — to paddle
  3. file — a tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. sharp — clever
  7. row — a line
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. file — a document
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fall — the season
  22. chip — to eat
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fall — to drop

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