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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. row — a line
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kick — in football
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fork — in a road
  17. shower — rain
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kick — a thrill

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