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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a line of people
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fine — all right
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rush — hurry
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. file — a tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pound — a weight
  24. file — a document

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