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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kid — child
  17. fine — high quality
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pitch — completely
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fine — all right
  24. bat — the animal

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