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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. march — music
  7. rule — a law
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chip — for betting
  15. drill — army training
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. march — the month
  21. rule — government
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stand — for spectators

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