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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. clip — a video
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — to go on
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — finally
  11. bound — obliged
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wound — an injury
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wound — an injury
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bound — certain
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. last — final
  24. lean — thin

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