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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. 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. game — wild animals
  3. fall — the season
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bass — low music
  18. game — a match
  19. net — for catching
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. 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