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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rock — music
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pound — a weight
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. kid — child
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rock — a stone
  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