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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pop — to visit
  4. last — to go on
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. last — final
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stock — goods
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — finally
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pop — soda
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stock — shares

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