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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. file — a tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. season — of the year
  6. spell — magic
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ball — a dance
  10. season — in sport
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. file — a line of people
  13. board — a committee
  14. spell — letters
  15. ball — a great time
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. file — a document

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