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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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. foot — part of the body
  4. clip — to cut
  5. game — wild animals
  6. club — for golf
  7. chest — a box
  8. foot — a measure
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — a match
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. club — a group
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. clip — a video
  18. chest — of your body
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. clip — for paper
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pound — for dogs

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