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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. roll — a list
  2. file — a line of people
  3. spring — the season
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. toast — bread
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spring — of water
  12. saw — the tool
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. file — a document
  17. kid — child
  18. spring — a coil
  19. file — a tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rush — to hurry
  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