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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · net · rock · wake · row · pit · fine · squash

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. row — a line
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rock — music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. net — after costs
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pit — a hole
  24. squash — to crush

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