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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 124 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mine — for digging
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pound — a weight
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. drill — the tool
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. drill — a practice
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — the time now
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. present — there
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. toast — bread
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. branch — a division
  23. drill — army training
  24. present — a gift

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