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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. file — a tool
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. row — a line
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pop — music
  8. fine — all right
  9. bat — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pop — soda
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. file — a line of people
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a document
  24. pound — a weight

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