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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. court — of a king
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mark — a trace
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bound — certain
  8. face — to point toward
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. face — to confront
  12. court — for sport
  13. land — to come down
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — ground
  16. dip — to sink
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — part of the head
  19. court — of law
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bound — tied together

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