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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. present — the time now
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. present — there
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rash — hasty
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pop — soda
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. present — a gift
  18. season — of the year
  19. rash — a series
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bat — the animal
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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