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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kid — to tease
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — child
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bore — to tire
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bore — to drill
  17. file — a tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. lean — to bend
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lean — thin
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. row — a line
  24. date — on the calendar

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