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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. pound — a weight
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ground — the earth
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ground — a position
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rest — a break
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rest — what's left

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