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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. row — to paddle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. last — finally
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. rule — a law
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. tube — a container
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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