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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wake — a trail
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. snap — to click
  15. club — for golf
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. kick — in football
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — a line
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pound — a weight
  23. club — a group
  24. ruler — a monarch

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