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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. lean — thin
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stock — goods
  23. wind — moving air
  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