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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. staff — a stick
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pop — music
  18. kick — in football
  19. ground — a position
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. staff — employees

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