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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: cold · deal · pitcher · rash · foot · pound

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cold — an illness
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pound — a weight

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