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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pitch — completely
  8. file — a tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. track — to keep track
  11. file — a line of people
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mate — a friend
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — a path
  16. mate — a partner
  17. degree — an amount
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. degree — from a university
  20. file — a document
  21. track — a song
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. foot — the bottom

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