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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. shower — rain
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chest — a box
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pound — a weight
  19. foot — a measure
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. row — a line
  24. foot — the bottom

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