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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pound — a weight
  4. snap — to click
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. file — a tool
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. present — there
  13. court — of a king
  14. rash — a series
  15. court — of law
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. file — a document
  24. present — the time now

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