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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. spring — a coil
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. spring — of water
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — in cards
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — help
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mouse — the animal

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