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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. object — to protest
  6. field — farmland
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a document
  17. kick — in football
  18. object — an aim
  19. chest — a box
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. object — a thing
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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