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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pop — music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — soda
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spell — magic
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stand — to bear
  13. kid — child
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. shower — rain
  16. spell — letters
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. dip — to sink
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pound — a weight
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pop — to visit

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