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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pound — a weight
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bass — the fish
  14. season — of the year
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. season — in sport

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