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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. kid — child
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pop — soda
  10. shower — to wash
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lean — thin
  15. shower — rain
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pound — a weight
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pound — to hit hard

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