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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. content — the amount
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. last — finally
  7. roll — a cake
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. game — wild animals
  12. last — final
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pound — a weight
  17. game — a match
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. roll — a list
  21. bear — the animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. content — happy

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