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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. shower — rain
  3. capital — money
  4. pound — a weight
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. sharp — clever
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. lean — thin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — to shout
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. net — after costs

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