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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · wave · kid · pound · toast · rest

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pound — a weight
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kid — to tease
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. toast — bread
  15. rest — a break
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — child

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