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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. current — of water
  5. content — happy
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. current — electric
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fall — the season
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. club — for dancing
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — the amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — to paddle
  21. club — for golf
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. club — a group
  24. current — happening now

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