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

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hand — in cards
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hand — help
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lean — thin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. shower — to wash

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