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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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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 · face · perch · bass · snap · toast · straw · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pound — a weight
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — low music
  7. toast — bread
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bass — the fish
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — to confront
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. face — to point toward
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. row — a line
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — part of the head
  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