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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bound — certain
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. race — a contest
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pound — a weight
  12. race — humankind
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — size or range
  23. season — of the year
  24. wave — with your hand

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