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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rest — what's left
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — a break
  9. wound — an injury
  10. capital — a city
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mug — a cup
  17. face — to confront
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. mug — a face
  21. fall — to drop
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mug — to rob
  24. capital — money

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