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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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 — to hit hard
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. file — a tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bound — certain
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mark — a trace
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — a grade
  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