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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pop — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. bound — tied together
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. pop — soda
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. row — a line

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