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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pound — a weight
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. march — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. deal — to handle
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. march — the month

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