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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. fall — to drop
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fine — all right
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fall — the season
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — thin
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mate — a partner

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