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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. firm — a company
  3. row — to paddle
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. kid — child
  7. rash — a series
  8. firm — decided
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pound — a weight
  12. last — finally
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. firm — steady
  15. last — to go on
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rash — hasty
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. kid — to tease
  22. snap — to click
  23. row — a line
  24. pound — for dogs

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