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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bound — certain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bound — tied together
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ball — a great time
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fall — to drop
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pound — a weight
  23. row — a line
  24. tube — a container

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