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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. season — in sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. sharp — clever
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fall — the season
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — of the year
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — farmland

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