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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. spring — a coil
  3. face — to confront
  4. spring — of water
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. face — to point toward
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — a match
  9. club — a group
  10. last — to go on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pound — a weight
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. object — an aim
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — part of the head
  18. object — to protest
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. object — a thing
  22. club — for golf
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. club — for dancing

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