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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pound — a weight
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitch — completely
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fine — all right
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — certain
  23. shower — rain
  24. degree — from a university

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