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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fine — all right
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mug — a face
  17. kid — child
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. kid — to tease
  21. drill — army training
  22. mug — to rob
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bat — for baseball

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