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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. land — a country
  4. row — a line
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. season — of the year
  19. row — to paddle
  20. season — in sport
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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