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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rest — a break
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. kid — child
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spell — magic
  12. kid — to tease
  13. charge — in control
  14. key — in music
  15. spell — letters
  16. charge — a price
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. coach — a trainer

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