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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. scale — in music
  8. track — a path
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. net — after costs
  13. mark — a trace
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hand — help
  16. track — a song
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. lash — to lash out

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