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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — in football
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rest — a break
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — of a word
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. root — the cause
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — the season
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. scale — in music
  18. root — of a plant
  19. march — music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — of water
  24. kick — a thrill

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