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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pound — a weight
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — a break
  8. march — music
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rock — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. roll — a list
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rash — hasty
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rest — what's left
  19. march — the month
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — a quarrel

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