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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lean — to bend
  3. object — a thing
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cap — a hat
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitch — completely
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kid — child
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. present — the time now
  15. lean — thin
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ball — a great time
  19. present — there
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. object — an aim
  24. pound — a weight

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