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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ground — a position
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. object — a thing
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rash — a series
  14. object — an aim
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. object — to protest
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stock — goods
  24. plane — in geometry

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