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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bore — to tire
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mark — a grade
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ground — a position
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pound — a weight
  10. drill — army training
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bass — the instrument

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