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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bass — low music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rule — government
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rule — a law
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. scale — in music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bass — the instrument

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