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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. net — for catching
  3. squash — the sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. net — in sport
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rest — a break
  23. squash — to crush
  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