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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. file — a line of people
  5. date — the fruit
  6. craft — boats
  7. file — a tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. board — to get on
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. scale — in music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bound — certain
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. board — a committee
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a document
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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