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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fine — all right
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pound — a weight
  11. face — to point toward
  12. content — the amount
  13. face — part of the head
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hand — in cards
  19. content — happy
  20. hand — help
  21. bass — low music
  22. fine — high quality
  23. face — to confront
  24. wound — an injury

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