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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — to cut
  7. firm — steady
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. club — a group
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — for paper
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. clip — a video
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — rain
  20. court — of law
  21. kid — to tease
  22. firm — decided
  23. club — for golf
  24. shower — to wash

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