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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. file — a document
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. present — there
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. file — a tool
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a line of people
  14. scale — size or range
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. present — the time now
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pound — a weight
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bound — obliged

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