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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — to recline
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. prune — to trim
  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