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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. land — a country
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spell — magic
  13. suit — to fit
  14. land — to come down
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — ground
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. suit — in cards
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — obliged
  24. root — of a word

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