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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 116 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: suit · kick · pound · game · stand · march · wind · mug

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stand — to bear
  3. march — music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kick — in football
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mug — to rob
  9. suit — to fit
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. game — a match
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mug — a cup
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mug — a face
  24. kick — with a leg

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