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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mate — a friend
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. march — music
  8. rule — a law
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — to grow
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rule — government
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. game — a match
  21. march — the month
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. march — the month

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