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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: fall · toast · hand · game · stick · bowl · cabinet · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hand — in cards
  12. game — a match
  13. fall — to drop
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fall — the season
  20. toast — bread
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cabinet — ministers

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