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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. present — there
  8. pound — a weight
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — an aim
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. object — a thing
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. present — the time now
  20. stock — shares
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. object — to protest
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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