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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — ground
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bound — obliged
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — certain
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pop — soda
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — a break
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. land — a country
  23. degree — from a university
  24. land — to come down

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