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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fine — all right
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wake — a trail
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pound — a weight

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