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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pop — music
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. season — of the year
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — a break
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pop — to visit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pit — a hole
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — in sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pit — in a race

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