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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. roll — a cake
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spell — magic
  7. club — a group
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. roll — a list
  13. pound — a weight
  14. club — for golf
  15. spell — letters
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. club — for dancing
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — an injury

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