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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — a face
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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