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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fine — high quality
  4. foot — a measure
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. tear — to rip
  9. file — a line of people
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — to go on
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. file — a tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rush — hurry
  24. foot — the bottom

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