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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: pitcher · row · rash · date · object · present · hand · bound

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. present — there
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. object — to protest
  11. present — a gift
  12. object — an aim
  13. rash — a series
  14. present — the time now
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — hasty

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