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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — in sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. lean — thin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. shower — to wash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cell — a phone
  16. net — after costs
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — for catching
  22. perch — the fish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cell — in a prison

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