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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 do anything ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. last — to go on
  8. pop — to visit
  9. last — final
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rash — a series
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lie — to recline
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — finally
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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