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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bound — certain
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rest — a break
  24. bowl — to roll

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