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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. field — farmland
  7. lie — to recline
  8. field — a subject
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — for sport
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pound — a weight

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