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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. drill — army training
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — a practice
  8. scale — in music
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — size or range
  21. drill — the tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. sharp — with an edge

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