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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. last — to go on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. club — a group
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. board — a committee
  13. mate — a partner
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — final
  16. club — for dancing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — to paddle
  21. board — to get on
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — to rip
  24. club — for golf

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