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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lie — to recline
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cold — an illness
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rash — a series
  24. stock — shares

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