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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. net — in sport
  8. hand — help
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — finally
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mate — a partner
  21. last — final
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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