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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. present — there
  3. squash — to crush
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pound — a weight
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — a gift
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rest — a break
  18. degree — temperature
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. present — the time now
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. degree — from a university

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