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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 124 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. degree — temperature
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. face — to confront
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rest — a break
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. face — to point toward
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. board — a committee
  16. craft — boats
  17. rest — what's left
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — a line

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