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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — a weight
  4. content — the amount
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. staff — employees
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rash — hasty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — employees
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. content — happy
  24. fan — a supporter

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