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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pound — a weight
  4. root — the cause
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — soda
  8. row — a line
  9. root — of a word
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. suit — clothes
  18. root — of a plant
  19. row — to paddle
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. racket — for tennis

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