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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — tied together
  6. charge — in control
  7. bound — certain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bound — obliged
  13. can — a tin
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. charge — a price
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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