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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · row · pop · last · straw · file · firm · rock

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rock — music
  3. firm — steady
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — a company
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. firm — decided
  18. row — a line
  19. mate — a partner
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. file — a tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — to breed
  24. row — to paddle

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