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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 need to ________________ round.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. pop — music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. field — farmland
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. vault — a safe
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. kick — in football
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pop — soda
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. spell — letters
  24. pound — to hit hard

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