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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. hand — help
  16. mate — a friend
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mate — a partner
  19. net — for catching
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. net — after costs
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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