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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ball — a great time
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cap — of ice
  10. row — a line
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. plane — a tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cap — a lid

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