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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. spring — of water
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. spring — the season
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — all right
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fine — high quality

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