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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. press — to push
  3. kid — child
  4. sharp — clever
  5. object — to protest
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. last — to go on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. press — a publisher
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kid — to tease
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. object — a thing
  17. row — a line
  18. last — final
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. press — newspapers
  21. object — an aim
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — finally
  24. ball — a great time

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