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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rule — government
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rule — a law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lean — thin
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — of a word
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. root — the cause
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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