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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 124 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — to go on
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — shares
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stock — goods
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — a soup base

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