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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cue — for pool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — a subject
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rush — hurry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. clip — for paper
  18. field — farmland
  19. dip — to sink
  20. clip — a video
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. field — for sport
  23. row — a line
  24. straw — a straw man

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