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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. file — a document
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — a list
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — the fruit
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bay — a horse colour

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