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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — help
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitch — completely
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mark — a trace
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kid — child
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mug — a cup

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