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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pop — soda
  3. mate — to breed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. tear — to rip
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tear — from crying
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pop — music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mate — a partner
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pop — to visit

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