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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — a line
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bound — certain
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rock — a stone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rock — music
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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