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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. firm — decided
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. hand — help
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. snap — to click
  11. firm — steady
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — a weight
  14. firm — a company
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. ball — a round shape

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