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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rule — government
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — crushed
  6. shower — to wash
  7. craft — boats
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stock — shares
  10. rule — a law
  11. stock — goods
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pound — a weight
  22. shower — rain
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spell — letters

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