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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spell — letters
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pound — a weight
  22. foot — a measure
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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