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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. content — happy
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rest — a break
  10. mate — to breed
  11. row — a line
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. row — to paddle
  14. content — the amount
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. face — to confront
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to point toward

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