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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a line
  4. hand — in cards
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. spell — a short time
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spell — magic
  12. row — to paddle
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — letters
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. net — in sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — soda
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — to visit

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