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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mine — for digging
  3. row — a line
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pound — a weight
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bass — low music
  17. scale — in music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. scale — size or range
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. squash — to crush

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