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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. snap — to click
  5. can — a tin
  6. pound — a weight
  7. track — a song
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. can — to be able to
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — a committee
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chest — a box
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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