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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — a subject
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. squash — to crush
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. field — for sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — a weight
  24. squash — the sport

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