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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: pound · snap · rock · bound · court · calf · object · row

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — certain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. object — to protest
  7. court — of a king
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bound — tied together
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. court — of law
  18. snap — to click
  19. object — an aim
  20. court — for sport
  21. pound — a weight
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pound — for dogs

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