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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — help
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. clip — a video
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. clip — for paper
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — to recline
  24. clip — to cut

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