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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: straw · face · pop · cue · pit · scale · pound · wave

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. face — to confront
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pop — music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cue — for pool
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pit — a hole
  24. face — to point toward

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