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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 116 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: fine · snap · bowl · present · row · hand · root · saw

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fine — high quality
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — the cause
  6. present — a gift
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. root — of a plant
  9. present — there
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. hand — help
  21. fine — all right
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. present — the time now
  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