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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.

Make a worksheet

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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. swing — in golf
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. swing — music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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