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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. object — a thing
  5. rock — music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. court — of law
  8. deal — to handle
  9. court — of a king
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. object — an aim
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mark — a grade
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mark — a trace
  23. roll — a list
  24. rock — a stone

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