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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 116 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — for sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — wild animals
  12. field — a subject
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. game — a match
  18. field — farmland
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. dip — to sink

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