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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bound — certain
  3. rest — what's left
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rest — a break
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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