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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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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: can · bark · row · ground · game · squash · fine · net

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fine — all right
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ground — the earth
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bark — to shout
  14. net — for catching
  15. fine — high quality
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — after costs
  20. squash — the sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. net — 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