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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hand — help
  3. board — a committee
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — a path
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hand — in cards
  11. row — a line
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — in sport
  19. mate — a friend
  20. net — for catching
  21. track — a song
  22. net — after costs
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ruler — for measuring

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