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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wake — a trail
  7. tube — the underground
  8. scale — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mate — a friend
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. saw — the tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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