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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stock — shares
  8. object — an aim
  9. shower — rain
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pound — a weight
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — a path
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ground — the earth
  21. object — a thing
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. shower — to wash

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