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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rash — a series
  5. object — a thing
  6. pound — a weight
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rash — hasty
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bass — low music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. object — to protest
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pound — for dogs

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