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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. craft — a skill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kid — to tease
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pop — soda
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. pop — music
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. craft — boats
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pound — to hit hard

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