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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. march — the month
  3. firm — a company
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. firm — steady
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. root — of a word
  13. firm — decided
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. march — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — crushed

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