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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spell — letters
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. scale — in music
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spell — a short time
  24. scale — for weighing

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