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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. land — a country
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — to come down
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. row — to paddle
  19. land — ground
  20. pound — a weight
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — a safe
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — to keep track

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