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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: foot · net · bulb · bat · pound · squash · march · row

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. squash — the sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. net — after costs
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. net — for catching
  10. pound — a weight
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. march — the month
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. march — the month
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. foot — a measure
  22. squash — to crush
  23. row — a line
  24. bat — the animal

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