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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pop — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pop — soda
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. pound — a weight
  10. present — there
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — to rip
  22. race — humankind
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tear — from crying

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