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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 116 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. land — ground
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cue — a hint
  7. land — to come down
  8. last — to go on
  9. land — a country
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lean — to bend
  14. last — finally
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lean — thin
  17. hand — help
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. last — final
  22. club — a group
  23. mug — to rob
  24. club — for golf

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