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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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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pound — a weight
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. last — final
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. last — to go on
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mine — for digging
  15. last — finally
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bound — certain
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bound — obliged
  22. press — to push
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. leaves — to go away

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