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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — a weight
  5. spring — of water
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. can — a tin
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. can — a tin
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spring — the season
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — a coil
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. drill — army training
  24. pound — for dogs

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