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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pound — a weight
  4. season — of the year
  5. present — there
  6. ground — the earth
  7. present — a gift
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a face
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — after costs
  17. present — the time now
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. net — in sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wound — an injury

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