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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. content — the amount
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ground — crushed
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. content — happy
  9. pound — a weight
  10. staff — a stick
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. net — in sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. craft — boats
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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