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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. plane — a tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bore — to tire
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — a grade
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — to hit hard

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