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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — a line
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mine — for digging
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. key — in music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — the amount
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — happy
  23. foot — a measure
  24. nail — on a finger

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