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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: rock · bear · hand · kick · object · roll · row · rest

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. object — an aim
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. roll — a list
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. object — a thing
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — in football
  15. object — to protest
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rock — music
  20. row — a line
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rest — a break
  24. kick — a thrill

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