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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a tool
  5. pound — a weight
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a document
  8. squash — the sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. squash — to crush
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — army training
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. file — a line of people
  22. drill — a practice
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mark — a trace

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