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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. squash — the sport
  4. land — ground
  5. capital — money
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. land — a country
  15. hand — help
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hand — in cards
  18. dip — to sink
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. squash — to crush
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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