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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. row — a line
  15. game — a match
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to click
  21. row — to paddle
  22. firm — steady
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. firm — a company

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