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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. roll — a list
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. object — a thing
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — a phone
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bore — to tire
  15. object — to protest
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. object — an aim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitch — completely

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