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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 120 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: snap · game · chair · rest · perch · lie · pound · pop

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chair — a leader
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lie — to recline
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a match
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pop — soda
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. snap — to click

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