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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. present — there
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — high quality
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fine — all right
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pound — for dogs

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