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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rash — a series
  9. present — there
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. present — the time now
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mug — a face
  19. date — the fruit
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mug — a cup
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. present — a gift
  24. rash — hasty

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