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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. clip — to cut
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — to visit
  6. clip — a video
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pop — music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. shower — rain
  20. pop — soda
  21. snap — to click
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — for paper
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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