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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. object — to protest
  6. spell — magic
  7. bound — obliged
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. object — a thing
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pound — a weight
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — letters
  19. object — an aim
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hand — in cards

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