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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cold — not warm
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. object — to protest
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — part of the head
  14. capital — a city
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — money
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. patient — a sick person

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