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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. drill — a practice
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bass — the fish
  7. current — electric
  8. drill — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stock — shares
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bass — the instrument

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