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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fine — high quality
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. shower — rain
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rash — a series
  15. fine — all right
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pound — a weight
  23. hand — help
  24. bore — gave birth

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