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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. row — a line
  5. rock — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mate — to breed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pound — a weight
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wind — moving air

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