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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rock — music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. row — a line
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bear — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. row — to paddle
  17. object — an aim
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. face — to confront
  24. bear — the animal

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