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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 120 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: foot · pound · bear · swing · chair · lie · last · mark

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — final
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. swing — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pound — a weight
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mark — a trace

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