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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. land — ground
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — to come down
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. snap — to click
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — a country
  19. bear — the animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — in sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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