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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bore — to tire
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bore — to drill
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. land — a country
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. shower — rain
  20. land — ground
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. land — to come down
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chair — a leader

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