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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · rock · cell · rule · arm · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cell — a phone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rule — a law
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rule — government
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pit — a hole
  18. arm — a part of something

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