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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. march — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rule — a law
  7. chest — a box
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. plane — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rule — government
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — a line
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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