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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ground — the earth
  5. scale — in music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. last — final
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — to go on
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fine — high quality
  12. ground — a position
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chest — a box
  19. last — finally
  20. chest — of your body
  21. craft — boats
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. craft — a skill
  24. hide — animal skin

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