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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pound — a weight
  8. drill — army training
  9. shower — rain
  10. key — in music
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pit — in a race
  14. key — for a lock
  15. drill — the tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spring — a coil
  18. drill — a practice
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. squash — to crush
  22. key — the most important part
  23. spring — the season
  24. pit — a hole

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