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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — a line
  6. rest — a break
  7. season — of the year
  8. rock — music
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cue — a signal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. row — to paddle

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