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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. staff — employees
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mate — a friend
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. staff — a stick
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. staff — employees
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wake — before a funeral

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