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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. can — a tin
  3. root — the cause
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — a line
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bound — obliged
  16. can — a tin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. root — of a plant
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. row — to paddle
  24. root — of a word

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