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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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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. suit — to fit
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. row — a line
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. ball — a great time
  21. suit — clothes
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. prune — to trim
  24. nail — for a hammer

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