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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. net — for catching
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. season — in sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. rock — a stone
  14. net — after costs
  15. season — of the year
  16. rock — music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wind — to turn a key

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