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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. shower — rain
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tube — a container
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pound — a weight
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bat — the animal

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