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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mark — a grade
  3. root — the cause
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. chair — a leader
  12. root — of a word
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. root — of a plant
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spell — letters
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. spell — magic

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