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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rash — hasty
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. capital — a city
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mouse — for a computer

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