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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. drill — a practice
  19. lean — thin
  20. drill — army training
  21. scale — in music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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