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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. staff — employees
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. staff — employees
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — obliged

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