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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pound — a weight
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. drill — army training
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. row — a line
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hand — help
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. hand — in cards
  24. safe — out of danger

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