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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mine — for digging
  4. can — a tin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. can — a tin

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