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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bass — the fish
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — to visit
  13. snap — to click
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. net — for catching
  20. bass — low music
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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