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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a document
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rule — government
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. file — a tool
  19. rule — a law
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. pound — to hit hard

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