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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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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 · content · key · nail · game · wind · deal · scale

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. deal — to handle
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. content — happy
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — in music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. game — a match
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. key — in music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. scale — size or range
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. content — the amount

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