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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. land — ground
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — to come down
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. ground — a position
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — a country
  23. pound — a weight
  24. scale — in music

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