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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bank — for money
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — the earth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. club — a group
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pound — a weight
  13. clip — a video
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. club — for dancing
  18. key — the most important part
  19. kick — in football
  20. ground — crushed
  21. clip — to cut
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — a position

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