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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — a line
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. clip — to cut
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pound — a weight
  17. clip — a video
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lie — to recline

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