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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — rain
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pound — for dogs

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