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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lean — to bend
  4. last — finally
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — final
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mug — a face
  9. lean — thin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — a line
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. last — to go on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. saw — the tool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mug — a cup
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pound — for dogs

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