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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: craft · rock · lash · row · court · chest · cap · track

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. court — of law
  5. row — a line
  6. cap — a hat
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. track — to keep track
  14. court — for sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rock — music
  17. craft — a skill
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. craft — boats
  21. cap — a lid
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. court — of a king
  24. lash — an eyelash

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