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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pound — a weight
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. file — a document
  15. stock — goods
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stock — shares
  21. saw — the tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bore — to drill

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