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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — of ice
  11. degree — an amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. degree — temperature
  14. row — a line
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bound — certain
  17. lean — to bend
  18. content — happy
  19. cue — a hint
  20. content — the amount
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cue — a signal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lean — thin

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