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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. can — to be able to
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. key — for a lock
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — electric
  9. toast — bread
  10. key — the most important part
  11. kid — child
  12. current — of water
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. can — a tin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. can — a tin
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. key — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kid — to tease

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