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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 124 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. court — for sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of a king
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — a container
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chest — a box
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ground — a position
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ground — crushed
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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