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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bass — low music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mate — a partner
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — the fish
  17. snap — to click
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spell — letters
  20. kick — in football
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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