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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. present — there
  3. pop — to visit
  4. present — a gift
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pop — soda
  7. snap — to click
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — of water
  12. fine — all right
  13. pound — a weight
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spring — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. present — the time now
  24. patient — a sick person

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