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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spring — the season
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fine — all right
  13. pound — a weight
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fine — high quality
  16. current — electric
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. scale — in music
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. current — of water
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pound — for dogs

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