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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. row — a line
  4. bass — the fish
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pound — a weight
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pitch — completely

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