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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mate — a friend
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. row — a line
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mate — a partner
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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