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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wind — moving air
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bound — obliged
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wind — moving air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — certain
  16. season — of the year
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bound — tied together
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pound — a weight
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. season — in sport
  24. wind — to turn a key

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