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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spell — letters
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fall — the season
  9. spell — magic
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — hurry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. spell — a short time
  23. staff — employees
  24. rash — a series

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