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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — a thing
  5. chair — a leader
  6. court — of law
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — of a king
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. foot — a measure
  16. court — for sport
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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