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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · pound · kick · fork · row · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. row — a line
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. kick — in football
  18. squash — the sport

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