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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. sharp — clever
  4. roll — a cake
  5. firm — decided
  6. roll — a list
  7. firm — a company
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. face — to point toward
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. firm — steady
  13. tear — from crying
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tear — from crying
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. degree — an amount
  18. face — to confront
  19. march — music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. face — part of the head

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