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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · toast · can · spell · fine · shower · scale · stick

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — rain
  6. toast — bread
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — high quality
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pound — a weight
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. spell — letters
  14. can — to be able to
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fine — all right
  19. spell — a short time
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — magic
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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