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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. last — finally
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spell — letters
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — child
  15. row — a line
  16. last — final
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. deal — to handle
  21. last — to go on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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