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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. pop — soda
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pound — a weight
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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