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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wind — moving air
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bound — tied together
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. net — in sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bound — obliged
  17. object — an aim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. object — a thing
  21. bound — certain
  22. spell — magic
  23. object — to protest
  24. net — after costs

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