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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bass — low music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. content — the amount
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. content — happy
  24. plane — a tool

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