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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pound — a weight
  3. key — in music
  4. net — after costs
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bank — for money
  7. snap — to click
  8. drill — the tool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bank — for money
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — for catching
  17. bank — of a river
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hand — help
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. drill — army training
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pound — to hit hard

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