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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spring — of water
  4. charge — a price
  5. deal — to handle
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — the season
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. perch — the fish
  10. charge — in control
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. last — final
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — a container
  23. last — finally
  24. charge — electricity

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