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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — a path
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — a song
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. roll — a list
  14. game — a match
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. roll — a cake
  22. game — wild animals
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pound — a weight

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