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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. game — a match
  8. court — of a king
  9. season — of the year
  10. perch — the fish
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. season — in sport
  14. firm — decided
  15. court — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. firm — steady
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. court — of law
  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