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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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. wind — moving air
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cue — for pool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pound — for dogs

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