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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — the amount
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pound — a weight
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. patient — a sick person

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