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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — hasty
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — boats
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. row — to paddle
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. row — a line
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. craft — a skill

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