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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kick — in football
  4. kid — child
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. row — a line
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. pound — a weight
  24. scale — in music

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