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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — shares
  8. mark — a trace
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. firm — a company
  16. stock — goods
  17. mark — a grade
  18. firm — decided
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. firm — steady
  22. swing — music
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. sharp — clever

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