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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. band — a ring
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. charge — electricity
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. charge — in control
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lie — to recline
  18. scale — in music
  19. charge — a price
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. row — a line
  23. band — a music group
  24. wave — of the sea

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