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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cold — not warm
  17. row — a line
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. row — a quarrel

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