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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ground — the earth
  5. firm — steady
  6. bore — to drill
  7. file — a document
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bore — to tire
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. firm — decided
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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