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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: wake · mouse · kick · chair · wind · content · arm · pound

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. kick — in football
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. content — happy
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pound — a weight
  24. arm — part of the body

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