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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — a position
  7. object — to protest
  8. cell — in biology
  9. march — music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. march — the month
  13. object — an aim
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. object — a thing
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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