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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. land — ground
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — a break
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — to come down
  8. pound — a weight
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. land — a country
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — in golf

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