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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. scale — size or range
  5. present — there
  6. pound — a weight
  7. present — a gift
  8. lean — thin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — to bend
  12. scale — in music
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rock — music
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. present — the time now
  24. chip — for betting

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