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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. court — of law
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. court — of a king
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. court — for sport

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