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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pound — a weight
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kid — child
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mate — a friend
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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