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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spell — magic
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. degree — an amount
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — army training
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. drill — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stock — goods
  24. bowl — to roll

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