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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — after costs
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. land — ground
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. pound — a weight

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