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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. row — a line
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. row — to paddle
  15. band — a music group
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. band — a ring
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pound — for dogs

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