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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. ground — the earth
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. content — the amount
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fall — the season
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. content — happy
  24. cold — not warm

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