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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. content — happy
  9. pop — soda
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pop — music
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pop — to visit

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