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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chip — to eat
  4. row — to paddle
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. band — a music group
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mate — a friend
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — a partner
  21. band — a ring
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mate — to breed
  24. row — a line

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