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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ground — a position
  6. fine — high quality
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pound — a weight
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. snap — to click
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. scale — in music
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rest — a break
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fine — a penalty

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