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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. season — in sport
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. present — there
  6. chair — a leader
  7. season — of the year
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. present — the time now
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. file — a line of people
  16. present — a gift
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pound — a weight
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. file — a tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a document

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