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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — the fish
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. game — a match
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. season — in sport
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pass — to succeed

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