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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. content — the amount
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pop — soda
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — help
  11. content — happy
  12. kick — in football
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pop — music
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cue — a hint
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pop — to visit

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