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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mate — to breed
  6. land — to come down
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kick — in football
  12. land — ground
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. land — a country
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — music

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