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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hide — animal skin

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