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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — there
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. court — of law
  10. present — a gift
  11. fall — the season
  12. present — the time now
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of a king
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — for sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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