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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — the amount
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — a container
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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