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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — a law
  5. wind — moving air
  6. march — music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rule — government
  24. wind — to turn a key

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