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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a partner

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