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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chest — a box
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. row — a line
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — in biology
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pound — a weight
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bowl — a football final

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