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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. net — after costs
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — in sport
  8. roll — a list
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — for catching
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — of water
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pound — to hit hard

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