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

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. firm — steady
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pound — a weight
  5. kick — in football
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bear — the animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. firm — decided
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. file — a document
  13. bear — the animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a tool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. firm — a company
  24. file — a line of people

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