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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — goods
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. foot — a measure
  12. toast — bread
  13. track — a path
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. hand — in cards
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. track — a song
  24. mouse — for a computer

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