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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 · cell · hide · stick · shower · craft · row · game

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — a match
  7. shower — rain
  8. cell — a phone
  9. shower — to wash
  10. row — a line
  11. craft — boats
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — a skill
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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