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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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468
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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bass — low music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. club — a group
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kick — in football
  14. club — for golf
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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