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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stock — shares
  8. pound — a weight
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a ring
  15. kid — child
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — goods
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pop — music

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