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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. land — to come down
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to click
  4. drill — a practice
  5. board — to get on
  6. pound — a weight
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. board — a committee
  11. drill — army training
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. firm — steady
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. firm — decided
  18. land — a country
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. firm — a company
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. drill — the tool
  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