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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pound — a weight
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — a gift
  14. pop — to visit
  15. season — in sport
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. present — there
  24. pound — to hit hard

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