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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spring — the season
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spring — of water
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. spring — a coil
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. key — in music

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