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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. row — to paddle
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. shower — to wash
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pound — a weight
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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