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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. shower — rain
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — to get on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — certain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. net — in sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. board — a committee
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mine — for digging

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