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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pop — soda
  9. snap — to click
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — of law
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — music

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