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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ground — a position
  3. suit — in cards
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. can — a tin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — completely
  14. row — to paddle
  15. suit — to fit
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. row — a line
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. suit — clothes
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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