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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. drill — army training
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. cell — a phone
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — the tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. board — a committee
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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