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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — the earth
  16. last — final
  17. ground — a position
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. last — to go on
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. file — a tool

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