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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. row — to paddle
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. capital — a city
  8. firm — steady
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. firm — a company
  15. bound — certain
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. degree — from a university
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — decided

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