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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. plane — a tool
  4. clip — to cut
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. row — a line
  12. stock — shares
  13. clip — for paper
  14. key — in music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. clip — a video
  17. capital — money
  18. pop — to visit
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — goods
  21. pop — soda
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pop — music
  24. key — for a lock

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