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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. can — to be able to
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — in a road
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. board — to get on
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mate — a friend

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