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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. row — a line
  3. bound — certain
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — clever
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. land — to come down
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. object — to protest
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. land — ground
  19. object — a thing
  20. hand — help
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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