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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — a container
  7. kid — child
  8. hand — help
  9. rock — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pop — soda
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pop — music
  24. hand — 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