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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: safe · wind · pound · rule · last · bowl · stand · chair

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — finally
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rule — a law
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. chair — to sit on

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