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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. game — wild animals
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. net — after costs
  8. game — a match
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bound — tied together
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. deal — to handle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. net — for catching
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bound — certain

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