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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fall — the season
  9. degree — from a university
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — rain
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. degree — an amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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