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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mate — a partner
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mate — to breed
  10. sharp — clever
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitch — completely
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. suit — clothes
  24. chip — for betting

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