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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bank — for money
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a city
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cold — not warm
  11. capital — money
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rest — a break
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cold — an illness
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bank — for money
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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