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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. firm — steady
  3. rash — hasty
  4. firm — decided
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — wild animals
  8. row — a line
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — to push
  14. rash — a series
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — a match
  21. spell — letters
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. firm — a company
  24. rash — on the skin

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