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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. object — an aim
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. drill — army training
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ball — a dance
  9. object — to protest
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — of the year
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pitch — completely
  17. row — a line
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. object — a thing
  23. ball — a great time
  24. season — in sport

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