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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pound — a weight
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — in a road
  11. kick — in football
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — the most important part
  14. kid — child
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — to tease
  19. staff — employees
  20. key — for a lock
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. key — in music

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