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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — rain
  10. fork — in a road
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. land — a country
  16. hand — help
  17. land — to come down
  18. season — in sport
  19. land — ground
  20. pound — a weight
  21. season — of the year
  22. squash — the sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hand — in cards

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