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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. drill — army training
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fine — high quality
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fine — all right
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bat — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. row — a line
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. row — to paddle

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