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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — the fish
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mark — a grade
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a music group
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — the sport

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