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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — to come down
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. saw — the tool
  8. land — a country
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pop — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. land — ground
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pound — a weight
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — to visit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — temperature

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