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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rash — hasty
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bank — for money
  6. track — to keep track
  7. kid — to tease
  8. track — a path
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pound — a weight
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bank — for money
  13. rash — a series
  14. track — a song
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. staff — employees
  21. bank — of a river
  22. kid — child
  23. ground — the earth
  24. squash — to crush

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