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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: wave · net · jam · board · row · present · cold · bay

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. net — after costs
  8. present — a gift
  9. cold — an illness
  10. net — in sport
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — to paddle
  15. board — a committee
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. present — there
  20. net — for catching
  21. cold — not warm
  22. present — the time now
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — a line

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