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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bore — to drill
  3. last — finally
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. capital — money
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. fine — all right
  9. capital — a city
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bound — tied together
  14. last — to go on
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — a series
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. last — final
  24. bore — to tire

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