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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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. cell — a phone
  4. last — final
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a trace
  7. net — after costs
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a line
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — for catching
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — in sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — completely
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mark — to pay attention

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