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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — in cards
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lean — thin
  17. bound — certain
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tube — a container
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. leaves — of a tree

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