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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — rain
  11. pound — a weight
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a trace
  14. band — a ring
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rule — government
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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