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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ground — the earth
  4. present — the time now
  5. capital — money
  6. prune — to trim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — a position
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rule — a law
  17. wake — a trail
  18. capital — a city
  19. present — there
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ground — crushed
  24. present — a gift

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