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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · present · spell · pound · rule · straw · sharp · can

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spell — magic
  5. pound — a weight
  6. sharp — clever
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. present — there
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — a short time
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — government
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. present — a gift
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. present — the time now
  23. spell — letters
  24. wind — to turn a key

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