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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — soda

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