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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. row — a line
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pound — a weight
  10. can — to be able to
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. can — a tin
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. row — to paddle
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. roll — a cake

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