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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. charge — electricity
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — rain
  9. land — a country
  10. mate — to breed
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — help
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. craft — boats
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. charge — a price
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lie — an untruth

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