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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pass — a permit
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. track — a path
  6. can — a tin
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. track — to keep track
  9. file — a document
  10. row — a line
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bore — to tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. file — a tool
  22. track — a song
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pass — to spend time

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