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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. degree — temperature
  15. club — for dancing
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. club — for golf
  18. foot — a measure
  19. club — a group
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. foot — the bottom

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