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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 120 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: row · present · mate · wake · hand · cap · fork · cell

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. present — a gift
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cap — a lid
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mate — a partner
  12. present — there
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. present — the time now
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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