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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. snap — to click
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pop — music
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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