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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mark — a grade
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spring — the season
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mark — a trace
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. spring — of water
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — a coil
  23. toast — bread
  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