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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spell — letters
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. spell — magic
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — to keep track
  13. row — a line
  14. pound — a weight
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. spell — a short time
  18. squash — the sport
  19. track — a path
  20. deal — to handle
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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