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

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pound — a weight
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitch — completely
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. scale — in music
  18. pound — for dogs

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