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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. game — a match
  16. net — in sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. root — the cause
  22. squash — the sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wave — with your hand

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