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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pop — music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pop — soda
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ground — a position
  24. ball — a great time

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