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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. last — final
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. court — of law
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. court — for sport
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. last — to go on
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. dip — to sink
  19. snap — to click
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. craft — boats
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. deal — to handle
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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