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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. net — for catching
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. plane — in geometry

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