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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — a line
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. row — to paddle
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — happy
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — the amount
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. craft — a skill
  24. game — wild animals

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