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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. club — a group
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cell — in biology
  14. club — for dancing
  15. last — to go on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. club — for golf
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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