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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — wild animals
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. season — of the year
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. plane — a tool
  18. game — a match
  19. season — in sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cue — for pool

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