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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. squash — the sport
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rock — a stone
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to click
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — army training

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