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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fine — high quality
  7. track — a path
  8. snap — to click
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — magic
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fine — all right
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. spell — letters
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pass — a permit

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