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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. field — a subject
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — rain
  5. last — to go on
  6. pound — a weight
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. tear — from crying
  12. can — to be able to
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. key — for a lock
  17. shower — to wash
  18. field — for sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. field — farmland
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. key — the most important part
  24. content — videos and posts

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