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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. present — a gift
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pop — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — the time now
  19. pop — soda
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. present — there
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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