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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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Word bank
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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: hand · row · sharp · last · drill · bound · pound · chest

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bound — tied together
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chest — a box
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — to go on
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hand — help
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bound — certain
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. row — a line
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. drill — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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