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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lie — to recline
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — low music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — a weight
  13. snap — to click
  14. bass — the fish
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. row — a line
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kid — child
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wind — to turn a key

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