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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. row — a line
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. file — a tool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pop — soda
  12. file — a document
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rush — hurry
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pop — music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pop — to visit

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