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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fine — all right
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — high quality
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a music group
  14. row — a line
  15. pound — a weight
  16. deal — to handle
  17. row — to paddle
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. band — a ring

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