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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pound — a weight
  15. present — there
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — the time now
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. tear — from crying
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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