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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kid — child
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bass — low music
  12. staff — a stick
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bass — the fish
  15. drill — army training
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mark — a grade
  18. staff — employees
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. drill — the tool

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