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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. kick — in football
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lie — to recline
  11. staff — employees
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pound — a weight
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — to be able to
  19. capital — money
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a city
  22. staff — a stick
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lie — an untruth

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