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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rule — government
  7. bound — certain
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. row — a line
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rule — a law
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chair — a leader
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bound — tied together
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wind — moving air

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