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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tear — from crying
  3. toast — bread
  4. land — a country
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. band — a ring
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — a match
  17. pound — a weight
  18. land — to come down
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. land — ground
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tear — to rip
  24. jam — a tight spot

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