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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bass — low music
  15. stand — to bear
  16. shower — rain
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. shower — to wash
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cold — not warm
  24. foot — part of the body

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