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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cue — a hint
  6. drill — army training
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. last — finally
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. last — final
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. drill — the tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a song
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — to go on
  21. cue — for pool
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — clever
  24. track — to keep track

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