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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — a box
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rash — a series
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stand — to bear
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cap — of ice
  22. board — to get on
  23. cap — a lid
  24. board — a committee

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