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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — soda
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bark — to shout

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