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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. last — finally
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fork — in a road
  9. snap — to click
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — to go on
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. content — happy
  17. mark — a grade
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — final
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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