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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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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 · fan · pound · row · mark · track · straw · season

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. foot — a measure
  10. track — a song
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. season — of the year
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. row — a line
  23. pound — a weight
  24. season — in 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