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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pound — a weight
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bank — for money
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — government
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bank — for money
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bank — of a river
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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