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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: rest · cap · row · wake · mate · ground · fall · swing

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cap — a lid
  3. swing — in golf
  4. row — a line
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — to breed
  7. swing — music
  8. fall — the season
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rest — a break
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cap — a hat
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cap — of ice

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