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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. staff — employees
  6. row — to paddle
  7. present — a gift
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rush — hurry
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. track — a path
  15. staff — employees
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — a line
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. present — there
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — the time now
  23. row — a quarrel
  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