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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. toast — bread
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. craft — a skill
  11. row — a line
  12. net — for catching
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — after costs
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. craft — boats
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — in sport

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