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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spell — letters
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. squash — the sport
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. date — the fruit
  11. spell — magic
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spell — a short time
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pound — a weight
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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