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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. board — a committee
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — a weight
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. board — to get on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stock — goods
  19. snap — to click
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — in music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. board — a flat piece

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