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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tear — to rip
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. land — a country
  8. suit — clothes
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. suit — to fit
  13. file — a document
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — ground
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. suit — in cards
  21. drill — army training
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. jam — in traffic
  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