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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. key — for a lock
  3. shower — to wash
  4. drill — army training
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — a series
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mark — a trace
  14. shower — rain
  15. drill — a practice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. content — the amount
  18. rash — hasty
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. content — happy
  22. mark — a grade
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. drill — the tool

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