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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cell — in biology
  5. present — the time now
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. present — a gift
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. present — there
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cell — in a prison

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