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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wind — moving air
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chest — a box
  5. drill — the tool
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — a weight
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. hand — in cards
  13. drill — army training
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. march — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — to handle

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