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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — a series
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. fine — high quality
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — a video

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