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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bat — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. capital — money
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. capital — a city
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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