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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. can — a tin
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — after costs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. net — in sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bark — to shout
  22. drill — the tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. drill — a practice

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