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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — a face
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tube — a container
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — a series
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — a match
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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