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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: pop · row · wake · cold · firm · pit · board · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. object — an aim
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. firm — a company
  9. pop — soda
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. row — a line
  13. cold — not warm
  14. board — a committee
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — music
  18. board — to get on
  19. pit — a hole
  20. object — a thing
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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