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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. pound — a weight
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to click
  10. file — a tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. file — a line of people
  15. shower — rain
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. swing — music
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. file — a document
  20. shower — to wash
  21. swing — in golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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