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

Word bank: roll · row · present · cold · craft · rest · deal · arm

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rest — a break
  3. craft — boats
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cold — an illness
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. present — the time now
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. present — a gift
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cold — not warm
  24. deal — an agreement

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