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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chest — a box
  5. can — a tin
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. can — a tin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fine — high quality
  12. can — to be able to
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. snap — to click
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tube — the underground
  19. perch — the fish
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chest — of your body
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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