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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: pound · cell · rule · object · bat · mark · ground · pit

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. ground — a position
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — a law
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rule — government
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — a grade
  23. object — an aim
  24. pound — a weight

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