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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — ground
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. present — a gift
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. bound — certain
  11. pop — to visit
  12. present — there
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pop — soda
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pop — music
  23. present — the time now
  24. bound — obliged

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