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

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — for catching
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. mark — a trace
  13. content — the amount
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. band — a ring
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. content — happy
  18. deal — to handle

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