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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. land — a country
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — a break
  11. dip — to sink
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pound — for dogs

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