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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. last — final
  5. tear — from crying
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. charge — in control
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. last — finally
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. last — to go on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — a price
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wind — moving air
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. tear — to rip

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