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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. race — a contest
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rock — music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. chair — a leader
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tube — the underground
  20. race — humankind
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tube — a container

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