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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. key — the most important part
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. file — a line of people
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. file — a document
  15. net — for catching
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fork — in a road
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. bowl — a football final

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