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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. field — a subject
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hand — help
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. field — for sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. field — farmland
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — a match

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