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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. squash — the sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. net — for catching
  9. pound — a weight
  10. squash — to crush
  11. drill — the tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. drill — a practice
  17. branch — a division
  18. drill — army training
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  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