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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a line
  8. pass — a permit
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — the season
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — of water
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bank — for money
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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