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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — a position
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. kick — in football
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wound — an injury

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