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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. rush — hurry
  12. field — a subject
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rest — a break
  16. field — farmland
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. deal — a big deal

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