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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 · charge · pound · bound · kid · rest · firm · bat

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. foot — a measure
  5. firm — a company
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bat — the animal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. firm — decided
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. firm — steady
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. kid — child
  17. charge — a price
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rest — what's left

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