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

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — magic
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rock — music
  11. spell — letters
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rock — a stone
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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