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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. swing — in golf
  7. key — in music
  8. swing — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. drill — army training
  12. swing — to play on
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. key — the most important part
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — a practice

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