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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rock — a stone
  3. row — a line
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. key — for a lock
  13. ball — a dance
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chest — a box
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pit — in a race
  23. key — the most important part
  24. can — a tin

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