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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. last — finally
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. last — final
  13. pound — a weight
  14. content — happy
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. net — for catching
  18. wake — a trail
  19. content — the amount
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. last — to go on
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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