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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. row — a line
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. row — to paddle
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — to get on
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. scale — in music
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rest — a break

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