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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — tied together
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — a path
  7. object — a thing
  8. track — a song
  9. object — to protest
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kid — child
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — help
  20. bound — certain
  21. object — an aim
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bear — to put up with

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