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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. present — the time now
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. present — a gift
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. present — there
  12. pop — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. drill — army training
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chair — a leader

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