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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — a weight
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mate — a friend
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — there
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rock — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mate — to breed

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