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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. row — a line
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. net — after costs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. row — to paddle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. deal — to handle
  14. net — in sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fine — high quality
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. net — for catching
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spell — magic
  24. pound — to hit hard

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