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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bound — certain
  4. scale — size or range
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — in golf
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. court — of law
  17. scale — in music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pound — a weight
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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