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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chest — a box
  8. rock — music
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tube — a container
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ground — a position
  24. pound — to hit hard

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