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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. key — in music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — for sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. key — the most important part
  13. content — happy
  14. field — farmland
  15. ground — crushed
  16. content — the amount
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. season — of the year
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — a subject
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. season — in sport

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