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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wind — moving air
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rule — government
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rule — a law
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bound — certain
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mate — a friend

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