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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — help
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — soda
  21. pound — a weight
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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