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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. present — the time now
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. fall — the season
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. present — there
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — a gift
  19. last — finally
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — a line
  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