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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. hand — help
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hand — in cards
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pit — a hole
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fan — a supporter

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