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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. court — for sport
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — after costs
  6. roll — a list
  7. snap — to click
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rock — music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lean — thin
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — for catching
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — of law
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. court — of a king
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pound — a weight
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lean — to bend

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