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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. saw — the tool
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a music group
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. court — of law
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — the sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. court — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a ring
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pound — a weight

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