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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — to paddle
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ground — a position
  7. cue — a signal
  8. row — a line
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kick — in football
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ground — the earth

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