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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spring — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bound — certain
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pound — a weight
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. saw — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fork — in a road
  23. spring — of water
  24. bound — tied together

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