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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. land — ground
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. land — a country
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rest — a break
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. row — a line
  17. land — to come down
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stand — to bear
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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