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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pop — soda
  6. ground — the earth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. hand — in cards
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. kid — to tease
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ground — crushed
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kid — child
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. ground — a position

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