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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. object — a thing
  3. spring — the season
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spell — magic
  7. object — to protest
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spring — a coil
  10. object — an aim
  11. spring — of water
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spell — letters
  18. court — for sport
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chip — for betting
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. court — of a king

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